Wow! A Tennessee school board member is facing serious legal action after calling a teenage student “hot”!
Perezcious readers will recall the shocking story that came out of Washington County Schools. Back in April, after a teenage student representative on the board spoke in front of the group during a filmed meeting, board member Keith Ervin remarked:
“God, you’re hot. Do you know that? Damn. Where do you go to school at?”
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He then put his arm around her and gave her a side hug as other adults in the room laughed. So inappropriate and uncomfortable!! Watch:
Outrage quickly spread among the community, and Keith defended himself, arguing:
“Last week at the board meeting I wanted to congratulate a student who did a great job sharing thoughts with all that was in the room. … When I mentioned she was hot, I meant she was on a roll. It was nothing to do with her appearance.”
According to new court records viewed by NBC News on Tuesday, the law isn’t buying that excuse! Keith has now been charged with ASSAULT! Specifically, assault — physical contact.
Wow!
The embattled school board member has not spoken out about the legal trouble, and a lawyer for him was not listed in the court records. He’s not the only one under fire, though…
In a school board meeting on May 7, the student, Hannah Campbell, absolutely BLASTED the entire school board for refusing to remove Keith from his position. She told them all she does not “forgive” them for allowing Keith — who has been a member since 2006 — to keep his position on the board after this incident. She called the members “cowards” for their “failure to act,” saying:
“To begin, I want to address Ervin’s actions, which were not only unwelcome, but sexist and derogatory. I know this because he has not behaved this way with any of our male members, nor do I believe that he ever would. I do not wish to beat a dead horse, as everyone here has clear context as to what happened was wrong.”
While the board agreed to censure Ervin a week after the icky remarks, he has kept his position. She slammed this decision:
“The failure to act on the board’s behalf was and is equivalent to his actions as it has hurt me just as much. To watch the chairperson be so quick to bang her gavel to control the public yet not use it once in order to control her own peer was disgusting.”
She added that she does not accept “your fake apologies used to protect yourselves. I do not believe that you deserve that peace of mind.”
Wow. Good for her!!!
According to NBC News, the board members didn’t respond to her speech and instead moved on to other agenda items. JFC.
The Washington County Board of Education released a statement to WCYB on Tuesday, saying in part:
“The Board reiterates that Mr. Ervin’s actions do not reflect the standards, policies, or values of the school district. The Board remains committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and appropriate environment for all students and staff.
The Board will defer to law enforcement and the judicial system for the resolution of these charges. Under Tennessee law, school board members are independently elected officials, and so the Board lacks the statutory authority to remove a sitting member from office.
Since this is an open legal matter, neither the Board nor any district official has any further comment. The district’s primary focus remains on the education and well-being of its students, and standard support resources are available to any student or staff member affected by this situation.”
So, basically, there’s nothing they can — or will — do right now. Sigh.
Keith’s first court appearance is set to take place in August.
Do YOU think he’ll be convicted? Tell us your thoughts in the comments (below).
[Image via Washington County Schools/WJHL/YouTube]
